Here we go. Sorry, guys. I hate, hate, HATE writers' block...so much!
Enjoy~
I don't own Kingdom Hearts or ships.
Night had fallen, leaving behind a sliver of a moon and thousands of stars. Tomorrow we would get to Port Royal, to land. After that, I would be unable to help the gypsies. Rai and I had sat on deck for long hours, talking and discussing, trying to create a plan that could free everyone. So far, it seemed plausible and worked from all angles that we had figured out. The only problem we had was if there happened to be a new situation that we didn't think to occur; we would be powerless to execute our plan, then.
Rai ran up to me, breathing heavily. He bent over and put his hands on his knees, catching his breath. I waited.
"You were…right." He stood upright, still a bit winded. "We'll be there by tomorrow morning. There will be more guards waiting at the port, as well as a couple of Setzer's friends." he reported.
"What? He's brought them?!" I whispered, appalled.
Rai looked confused, but I could only turn away, unable to contain my anger. I punched at the wooden mast, ignoring the pain that erupted through my entire arm. Rai stared.
"Um…wha-"
"He's brought those silver-haired bastards here! Damn him!" I hissed, trying to stay quiet.
"What are you talking about?!" Rai whispered loudly, giving me a bewildered expression.
I spun around to face him, furious. "He brought Sephiroth and his stupid group with him! This will be practically impossible…" I paused, calming down as an idea came to me. "Unless…we use them as part of our distraction…"
"Wait, I'm still lost, ya' know?" Rai insisted.
I looked at him and sighed. "Okay, listen closely…"
Axel gave me a smirk, then tossed a dagger my way. I caught it and nodded, then ran off to go and cut my family free. I couldn't believe we were escaping. Of course, Sora and I could have easily made an escape plan, so it wasn't like this was anything big and amazing.
The first person I saw that was awake and nearby was Cloud, sitting completely still. I ran over and quickly sliced through the rope that bound his hands, which instantly got his attention.
"Come on, let's get out of here." I smirked, waving the knife.
"We have to save our leaders, too." he said gravely, standing to his feet.
I nodded, then turned to Axel and Sora, who were both rushing to set everyone free as well. More and more were beginning to wake the ones that were sleeping, explaining the situation best they could. Axel glanced up at me as he went and cut Jiminy, his green eyes glittering as they met mine. I flushed and turned away, rushing over to set Ven and Aqua free. I didn't dare look back to see if his eyes were still on me…I didn't want to know.
As we began to get more and more of our people freed, I took notice of the number and smirked. The odds certainly weren't against us this time, and we had the element of surprise with us. I thanked whatever gods had saved us, then paused and looked at Axel.
He had been the one to save me, to save everyone I cared for. What kind of pirate was he? I knew, deep down, he wasn't that bad, but his…"job", should I say, was one I had to be wary around. Though, the way he showed his so-called "affection" irritated me to no end, as did his pathetic attempt to flirt with me. He was handsome, yes, but not a man I would want to get into a relationship with.
"Roxas!" I spun around to come face to face with my twin brother. "What's the matter with you?! I was calling your name countless times." He frowned and poked my forehead. "Hurry up, alright? We need to get ready for our ambush if we want to survive this, okay?" he said with a small smile.
"I know, I know. Gosh, you've become a mother hen since you and Terra got together, Ventus." I replied, and walked away before he could hit me for the comment.
Axel and Sora were running around the room, keeping everyone quiet as they continued to cut at bindings. Ven caught up and stayed by my side as I paced around the room, making sure everyone weren't tied up. By the time we had finished, I could see that there were much more of us than I thought. Axel and Sora walked over to me, grinning at the major accomplishment.
"Looks like we only have a couple more to get free, huh?" Axel said, playing with his knife.
"Yeah…any ideas on how we're going to sneak up there?" I asked him.
Those emerald eyes widened with delight, and he leaned forward to whisper the plan to Sora and Ven as well…
I leaned against the cold bars, my mind clouded by what my previous visitor had told me. I had tried countless times to get his cruel words out of my head, but it was useless; his promise had wrapped around my brain, reminding me of my second fate that would befall me before my death.
Leon had helplessly tried to console me after the stranger had left, but it was futile, for the damage had already been done. Now the gypsy leader sat, brooding silently into a corner of his own cell. I glanced behind me to stare at him, not surprised at the slumped shoulders and dark eyes. He had slept about as much as I had since we had gotten on this ship, though it couldn't have been for more than a couple days at most. Or had it only been a day? A week, maybe?
No one else had spoken to each other, no one had said a word since we had been thrown in here. The only sounds any of us uttered was when some of the guards came in to torment and tease us, and even then, we didn't give much of a fight. Had we truly lost to these ignorant morons?
"Did you hear that?" Leon asked abruptly, sitting upright, his chains jangling.
I sighed in reply, but Leon stood to his feet, alert. The other leaders in the cells began to stand or actually snap to attention, now straining to hear whatever it was Leon was hearing. I just curled up and tried to let my exhaustion overtake me, allowing me some blessed sleep that I hadn't had since I had been thrown in here.
That's when, out of nowhere, a large crash sounded somewhere, followed by a shout of surprise. I became instantly awake and stumbled to my feet, ignoring the jangle of my chains. Everyone was beginning to whisper to each other, trying to guess what had occurred on the ship. Pirates? Another enemy entirely? A storm?
"Go!" a voice shouted as another crash resounded.
I frowned, gripping the bars of my cell as I looked to where the entrance door stood, waiting for something to happen. And something did.
I allowed Axel and Sora to go and fight against whoever was on deck, watching each other's backs carefully as more gypsies flowed out of the hold, emerging to go and help take control of the ship. I, on the other hand, had a very important duty to attend to.
"Roxas!" I glanced behind me to see Axel, a smirk on his face. "Be careful, got it? I'll need a kiss after this."
I felt my cheeks grow warm and turned away without answering, my hands gripping the hilt of my knife as I snuck towards, what I hoped to be, the prison cells. The ship didn't seem to have many rooms, but it was still quite large. No soldiers guarded the door, thanks to the distraction Axel and my brother were doing, which left me with a much easier job. Blocking out the sounds of the battle behind me, I ran up to the door and jammed the tip of the knife into the keyhole.
"Roxas! Hurry it up!" Kairi shouted as she blocked an attacker from getting to me.
"Hold on, damnit! I'm rusty." I replied.
The keyhole seemed to resist at first as I jiggled the knife around in hopes of hearing a click or snap. Instead, Fuu decided to be kind enough to shoot a ball of fire towards the door…without warning me.
"Watch out, Roxas!" Sora shouted.
I glanced behind me to see flames coming my way, burning brightly. My body froze up, still bent over the doorknob as I stared into the fire.
"Comin' through!" Axel's voice carried down to me.
My attention momentarily distracted, I looked up to see Axel had climbed one of the rope ladders, holding on with one hand and foot while he held a length of rope that had been tied to the main mast in the other hand. He smirked and pushed away from the rope ladder, then proceeded to swing down to where I was, almost in slow motion.
I didn't fight back or run as he swung down and scooped me up from harms' way, swinging to the upper deck and aiming a good kick at the helmsman before letting go, the two of us tumbling onto the deck in a heap. I groaned as I was cushioned by his body, feeling the hard thump of the landing course through my body. He gave a similar moan in response, then chuckled slightly.
"That was quite fun. Don't you think so, Blondie?" he asked, picking his head up to glance down at me.
I blushed as I took the time to notice the firm muscles that were straining against his clothing, then pushed myself to my feet, trying to feebly hide the flush in my cheeks. He got up as well, clutching his abdomen with a wince.
"You're heavier than you look, gypsy. What the hell do you eat?" he snickered.
I glared up at him and didn't hesitate to punch him in the gut, feeling quite satisfaied at the way he doubled over and nearly whimpered. Spinning on my heel, I stormed off without bothering to thank him for saving him, which I had been about to do…until he made that comment. Besides, now that there was no door in my way, I could continue with my task.
I stared in wonder as my best friend strutted into the room, completely at ease. He sighed dramatically, then flicked out a knife, a smirk crawling onto his face.
"Anyone wanna get out there and take over this damned ship with me?" he asked, and got loud cheering as a response.
He smiled, then turned his head to the side to nod someone to follow him, who did so. I didn't expect it to be Cloud, but it didn't matter to me. The two blondes, each equipped with a knife, set out to get each individual cell unlocked, starting at opposite ends of the room. Roxas was the one who got to my cell first, playing with the knife like the typical showoff he was.
"Ready to get out there?" he asked, his tone gentle. I knew why, but ignored it.
"Yeah." I forced a smirk of sorts onto my face. "I've had enough of the first class treatment, thanks." I snorted.
He opened the cell door with ease, then walked in to work on my shackles, which took a bit longer. Finally, though, they fell off my wirsts, setting me free. I sighed in relief, flexing my hands and stretching out my tired muscles from lack of use and staying in one position too long. Roxas nodded and left the cell, going on to the next one.
I was just glad to leave the room, which is what I did as quickly as possible, leaving behind my prison. I was shocked to step into such a battlefield on the deck that I had to pause mid-stride, searching the mass and smiling as I caught sight of my friends and family amoung the mob of Imperials and gypsies, all crowded together.
"Holy-!" a voice spoke up from behind me, sounding rather familiar.
I gazed over my shoulder, expecting it to be Leon or even Terra…but neither them had those unforgettable icy eyes.
GAH! So. Much. Conflict! WHY?!
I'm sure you're all curious to know what happens next, but i'm delaying that for another time. :P
Hope you guys liked it!
